This, according to him, will be determined by the volume of power being generated and what the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) can distribute.

Mr Osafo-Maafo disclosed this on the sidelines of a forum on open government partnerships and construction sector transparency in Accra.

“To publish the rationing of the power, nobody can do it except the Minister of Energy because he is seeing the generation and they [ECG] are looking at the utilisation.

“So, they can look at it and say that in this particular area, this is how it should be done, but it is something which can be done, because it is what you have and what you have to use and the spread,” he told Accra-based TV3.

Pressure has been mounting on ECG to issue a load-shedding timetable to help Ghanaians plan their lives in the wake of the frequent power outages.

However, both the Energy Minister and ECG Managing Director, Samuel Dubik Mahama have dismissed the calls.

To the Minister, the demand is equivalent to wishing evil for the country.

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Deputy Energy Minister, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, has explained why the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) cannot provide Ghanaians with a load-shedding timetable.

This, he said is a result of uncertainties faced by power distribution in the country.

Frustrated consumers accuse government of not being transparent about the real power challenges, with sporadic power outages experienced across the country.

But in an interview on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem Monday, Mr Mercer who doubles as Sekondi Member of Parliament (MP) said providing a timetable will be a distortion if the data on the quantum of power to be distributed at any given time is not known.

“There is no constant planned outage but if you look at the data, between January and March, you will realise 50-85 % of the problem is purely distribution. ECG faces day-by-day distribution challenges.

“That is why ECG cannot provide the timetable people are requesting. There is no certainty with the distribution and it will create distortion,” he said.

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This follows a meeting with stakeholders in the energy sector on Saturday, April 6, 2024.

The Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, had earlier dismissed calls for a load-shedding timetable despite the frustration from Ghanaians.

He said the demand for a load-shedding timetable is equivalent to wishing evil for the country.

ECG also stated there was no need for a timetable, adding the recent power cuts may be due to other factors and emphasized that the notorious ‘dumsor’ phenomenon has not returned.

However, the Committee Chairman, Samuel Atta Akyea has emphasised the need for the timetable for the purposes of transparency.

“The conversations we’ve had so far are very good, some of the technical challenges relating to fuel and the rest of it may be tackled. If there’s under generation, which there’s an admission there’s one, we should do everything in our power to make sure that we generate enough power.”

“I think the Committee was very strong on the matter that if there are power outages, those who are enjoying should know when it’ll be available, and then they plan their lives around the timetable they’ll furnish them. They are going to do it and we’ll do everything in our power to monitor them,” he stated.

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The country has grappled with erratic power supply for months, prompting concerns from various stakeholders. Disputes between ECG and GRIDCo have further complicated the situation.

In a letter of compliance addressed to the Minister of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, dated March 28th, GRIDCo expressed grave concern about ECG’s failure to adhere to the load-shedding directives issued by the National System Control Center (NSCC).

GRIDCo said ECG’s disregard for these directives poses a substantial threat to the grid’s stability.

GRIDCo cited instances where ECG’s non-compliance resulted in system frequency fluctuations, further exacerbating the situation.

“We note with grave concern the repeated instances where Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Operations personnel fail to follow load management instructions issued by the SCC. This non-compliance poses a significant threat to the stability of the power grid, potentially leading to:  Avoidable power outages for customers and system collapse.

“The SCC routinely communicates load management directives to ECG Operations. However, these instructions are often either not effected or inadequately implemented. This results in a decline in system frequency, triggering:

• The operation of the Automatic Frequency Load Shedding (AFLS) relays,

• SCC having to disconnect feeders serving bulk customers to correct the decaying frequency.”

GRIDCo has stated that instances where they are blamed for emergency disconnections do not accurately reflect the current situation. They added that ECG’s disregard for load management instructions is a breach of regulations.

“When these emergency disconnections occur, ECG publishes customer notices attributing the loss of power supply to GRIDCo, which is not an accurate description of the current situation. Furthermore, ECG’s disregard for load management instructions is a clear violation of the regulations.”

As a result, GRIDCo is urging the Minister, to intervene to ensure ECG complies with the issuance of a load shedding timetable.

“We therefore bring this to your kind attention, Honourable Minister, and seek your urgent intervention to ensure cooperation from ECG with respect to load management operations.”

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In response to concerns about power supply challenges, ECG stated that the current issues do not warrant the implementation of a load-shedding timetable.

Laila Abubakar, the External Communications Manager at ECG, clarified that the recent power cuts may be due to other factors and emphasized that the notorious ‘dumsor’ phenomenon has not returned.

She assured the public that ECG’s management is diligently working to address the challenges facing the power sector.

“The thing is, we just want people to be aware that when your power goes off, it is not always a matter of load shedding. There are several issues and there are some of them that fall before the doorsteps of ECG. We are doing as much as possible to solve the ones that we can.”

“There aren’t any issues with shedding load. The load shed, I think is what people understand by ‘dumsor’. But usually, when someone asks me if, there is dumsor, I ask them what do you understand and what do you think ‘dumsor’ means. Unfortunately, there wouldn’t be a timetable,” she insisted.

Meanwhile, John Abdulai Jinapor, the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Mines and Energy Committee, has asserted that the ongoing power outages in various parts of the country stem from financial constraints rather than faulty transformers.

Mr Jinapor refuted claims by the ECG that the outages were due to transformer repairs, alleging that the root cause is a shortfall in electricity generation capacity.

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